*Alabama was up seven with under four minutes to go.
*Milroe, Alabama had a chance to win it in regulation.
*Failed on their final drive of the second half.
*Failed to score in overtime.
Alabama is not back.
I repeat, Alabama is not back.
Under the lights of “The Granddaddy Of Them All”, Nick Saban & offensive coordinator Tommy Rees ran out of ideas late in Alabama’s College Football Playoff game against Michigan, resulting in a 27-20 defeat at the Rose Bowl. Michigan would rally furiously, tying the game with under two minutes to-go, and after a defensive stance, would advance to overtime.
In OT, Michigan’s superstar running back Blake Corum would put Alabama’s tired defense in daycare for naptime, where they would stay the remainder of the game. In putting Michigan up seven points, Corum would also become Michigan’s all-time leader in career rushing touchdowns, surpassing legendary Michigan tailback “A-Train” Anthony Thomas.
Milroe & Alabama would respond, but Michigan eventually, Michigan tightened-up, stopping Alabama on a busted 4th & Goal situation from inside the 5-yard line.
There was plenty of blame to go around, after I reviewed the footage, but the fourth-down play will be the one that is Dutch-ovened underneath the blankets of Tuscaloosa for the next few months.
I could literally hear Keith Jackson’s voice in my head after the debacle. “Whoa, Nelly!”
Head coach Nick Saban of Alabama dissected the final play’s breakdown on Monday night. Initially, Alabama chose an appropriate strategy, but Michigan’s timeout disrupted their plan. Subsequently, Alabama’s revised play also faced challenges, leading to a timeout by the Crimson Tide.
“The fact that it didn’t work made it a really bad call. We called timeout because we had a bad look. We had a good look on the first one and they must have known it…”
The decisive moment was marred by a botched snap and a missed blocking assignment, culminating in an underwhelming end to an otherwise riveting College Football Playoff encounter.
Jalen Milroe, Alabama’s quarterback, managed to retrieve the errant snap but was quickly overwhelmed, gaining only one yard on the fourth-and-goal attempt from Michigan’s three-yard line.
“[Offensive coordinator] Tommy [Rees] just felt like the best thing we can do was have a quarterback run, which was our two-point play … and the ball was on the three-yard line, which is just like a two-point play, but we didn’t get it blocked so it didn’t work. We didn’t execute it very well and it didn’t work. They pressured and we thought they would pressure. We felt like we could gap them, block them and make it work, but it didn’t.”
The blunder ultimately determined the outcome of the contest between these two collegiate football powerhouses.
The broadcast highlighted that Michigan’s defense outnumbered Alabama’s offensive line, with seven defenders against six, even as linebacker Junior Colson shadowed running back Roydell Williams Sr., who moved pre-snap.
Derrick Moore, Michigan’s defensive lineman, outmaneuvered his opponent, contributing significantly to the disruption of Alabama’s final play.
Reflecting on the play, Milroe commented to CBS Sports that it all boiled down to reverting to their training, which they failed to execute effectively in that crucial moment.
“With anything, it takes preparation, whether it’s pass protection, whether it’s the running game, the passing game. The quarterback and the center have to have a great relationship and that’s something that we tried to build throughout the whole season.”
Despite his trust in his teammates, the final attempt was unsuccessful.
After initially trailing 13-7, Alabama rallied with 13 consecutive points and maintained the lead until the game’s final moments, when Michigan’s eight-play, 75-yard drive pushed the game into overtime.
In the overtime session, Michigan’s Blake Corum secured the advantage with just two runs, a lead Alabama could not counter.
And a special shoutout has to go to Josiah Stewart (#5) of the Michigan D, who hasn’t gotten nearly enough credit for his game-ending destruction on the last play. He absolutely detonated blue-chip NFL Draft prospect (Top 10 on most scouting reports) T JC Latham of Alabama. Stewart pancaked Latham, causing Milroe to trip & eventually fall short of the goal line.
Michigan entered the CFP as the #1 seed, and is now set to face #2 Washington next Monday night in the culmination of the college football season, the CFP Championship.
So, here’s the real question:
Would FSU have been able to beat Michigan?
Yes, I’m still gripping that steering wheel. Feel free to roast, either in the comment section below or on social media:
Twitter: @TheReal_TioRico / @BleacherBrother
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